Miami Airport Concourse Repair

Founded in 1928, Miami International Airport is one of the largest and busiest airline hubs in the United States. An interior renovation project was initiated in the airport’s Central Terminal – an area that had gone without improvements for some time. As the project began, large quantities of spalled roof slab were discovered in Concourse E, prompting the need for specialty repairs before renovations could continue.

The general contractor required a specialty repair group for the overhead work because the concrete needed to be pressure pumped and not conventionally poured.  Repairs also needed to be completed rapidly before the rest of the renovation could begin, but while the Concourse as a whole remained in operation. STRUCTURAL was contracted to renovate the interior of the airport’s Central Terminal to address these issues and provide the necessary repairs.

The repair work began with two gates, including 2,222-square-feet of overhead slab, 585-square feet of beam spalling, and 1,112-linear-feet of crack repairs. The scope quickly multiplied as drop ceilings were removed and additional deterioration was revealed.

The repair system chosen was a combination of overhead pressure pumping self-consolidating concrete, epoxy injection of slab cracks, and cathodic protection anode installation to proactively protect the non-repaired areas.

Many challenges were encountered during the repair process, including security and access requirements for crews and repair materials to enter the terminal. Additionally, live conduits were found during demolition posing a dangerous hurdle for the team. Coming together to provide specialty repair solutions and safety measures were critical to successfully completing repairs on time.

With zero safety incidents, the project was completed on time by utilizing 12,000 square feet of concrete, 22 separate pumping operations that required long distance pumping, 4,000-linear-feet of crack injections, and over 2,000 anodes for cathodic protection.